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35-year-old Johnson started Week 1, but the Raiders quickly realized his legs were gone. He had played more than 20 snaps in a game just once since Week 2. Johnson was an All Pro-type player for the Chiefs during his prime, but twin Achilles' tears sapped his explosion as he aged. It was always a poor plan for the Raiders to feature him this season.

Smith is so much of an unknown that he lacked a Wikipedia page at the time of this writing. According to the team, he is "wrapping up his eighth season on the Titans coaching staff." He started with the club as a defensive assistant/quality control coach but moved to the offensive side of the ball in 2012. He has served under four different head coaches in Nashville. Amazingly, Smith will be Marcus Mariota's fifth offensive coordinator in five years. As Freddie Kitchens has once again proven, unknown does not equal bad hire. We just don't have anything to go on.

Several coaches including Sean Payton, whose team was on the receiving end of a horrific and game-changing non-call on Sunday, have been in favor of making pass interference reviewable, and it sounds like there is a possibility they will get their wish. "It will be discussed at length along with additional fouls that coaches feel should be subject to review," a source told Maske. A more comprehensive and streamlined review system could help, but the underlying issue is a serious refereeing problem which needs to be addressed.

NFL announced the Buccaneers, Raiders, Rams, and Jaguars will host games in London and the Chargers will host a game in Mexico City during the 2019 season.

The London games will be split between Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while the Estadio Azteca will get another shot to host an NFL game after a matchup between the Rams and Chiefs this season had to be relocated because of poor field conditions. As for the visiting teams, the Panthers will travel to face the Bucs, the Bears will play the Raiders, the Bengals will meet the Rams, the Texans will battle the Jaguars, and the Chiefs will get their second shot at Mexico City against the Chargers.

After the Josh McDaniels debacle in Indianapolis last year, the hire will not be made official until the Dolphins formally hire Patriots de-facto DC Brian Flores as head coach. Graham worked with Flores in New England from 2009-2015, spent two years coaching the defensive line for the Giants, and was the Packers run-game coordinator and linebackers coach last season.

Todd Gurley said he is healthy despite playing just 32-of-69 snaps in the Rams' NFC Championship win over the Saints.

Gurley missed the final two games of the regular season with a left knee injury, but he did not blame that issue for his limited playing time. "I was sorry as hell today," Gurley said. "I was sorry. So, C.J. [Anderson] did his thing and the whole team did its thing." To his point, Gurley dropped two passes including one which resulted in an interception, missed a blitz pickup, and did little on the ground outside of a six-yard touchdown. Even so, it is tough to believe his knee had nothing to do with the limited snaps. The good news is Gurley has two weeks to shake it off before the Super Bowl.

"My mind's not even there right now. So this is all pretty fresh," Brees said. "But I plan on being here next year and making another run at it." He left himself a bit of wiggle room, but this is a pretty definitive statement from the newly-40 quarterback. He slowed down a bit late in the year, but Brees posted an MVP-caliber season, completing 74.4 percent of his passes for 3,992 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 games. Playing at that level and with a team good enough to push for the Super Bowl, it would have been a shock if Brees decided to walk away.

Julian Edelman caught 7-of-10 targets for 96 yards in the Patriots' AFC Championship Game victory over the Chiefs.

Edelman was at the center of it all, making one chain-moving grab after the other while seeming to muff a punt in the fourth quarter. The play ended up getting overturned on review even though it was a stretch to say there was clear and obvious evidence. Soon after, Edelman was the target on Tom Brady's second interception, letting the ball slip through his hands. He rallied by catching three passes for 55 yards in the game's final seven minutes. The creator of a "bet against us" T-shirt before the game, Edelman ended up putting his money where his mouth is. He has two weeks to rest up for Super Bowl LIII against the Rams.

Patrick Mahomes completed 16-of-31 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns in the Chiefs' 37-31, overtime AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots.

Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense was barely functional in the first half, generating just 65 passing yards as the Pats built up a 14-0 lead. It was a completely different story after the break, but the Chiefs couldn't quite complete the comeback, shamefully not even getting the ball in the extra period. The NFL has needed to fix that rule for decades. It was a disappointing end to Mahomes' historic sophomore season. Only the second player in NFL history to have a 50-touchdown, 5,000-yard campaign, Mahomes drew comparisons to basically every Hall-of-Fame quarterback of the modern era. He is a unique talent who can do things that have never been done on an NFL football field. Still only 23, Mahomes could become the highest-paid player in league history as early as the 2020 offseason. He is in his own stratosphere as a fantasy quarterback.

Tom Brady completed 30-of-46 passes for 348 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the Patriots' 37-31, overtime AFC Championship Game victory over the Chiefs.

Brady alternated struggles with huge completions to Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, making just enough big plays for the Patriots to advance to their third straight Super Bowl and remarkable ninth of the Brady/Bill Belichick era. Brady was lucky to escape with only two picks, as he had a third called back by a (valid) offsides penalty. As they have done in recent vintage, the Pats rode their running game, taking pressure off Brady and an undermanned receiver corps. The formula could be similar in Super Bowl LIII against the Rams, as Wade Phillips' defense allowed over five yards per carry during the regular season.

Alvin Kamara rushed eight times for 15 yards and hauled in a team-high 11 catches for 96 yards in the Saints' NFC Championship loss to the Rams.

Kamara easily led the team in catches and targets, and he dominated the first drive of the third quarter with four catches and another target at the two. The passing game usage is not a surprise after the versatile runner posted his second 81-catch season in a row in 2018, turning that work into 709 yards and four scores. That passing usage stuck around despite a bigger role in the rushing game -- 194/883/14 in just 15 games -- even after Mark Ingram returned from suspension. With Ingram headed to free agency, the workhorse role Kamara occupied the first four weeks could be the norm next season. He will be in the top-five pick conversation in fantasy drafts this summer.

Drew Brees completed 26-of-40 attempts for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the Saints' NFC Championship loss to the Rams.

Brees did not have a bad game, but the offense struggled to get much going after the first quarter. Even his long completion to Ted Ginn probably should have at least been batted down. That said, there was not much he could do about his interception in overtime. Brees was hit while throwing, and the pass fluttered in the air and into the arms of a defender. Especially since the Saints were a terrible no-call away from winning the game in regulation, it was a tough end to an MVP-caliber season from the just-turned-40-year-old. Even with a slow finish to the year, Brees managed 3,992 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just five interceptions, good enough for a QB8 finish. That is around where he should be drafted in 2019, the final year of his current deal.

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